KEY POINTS
- Babar Azam equalled Virat Kohli’s record of 83 innings without scoring a century.
- Babar now shares the second spot on the list of players with the most innings without scoring a century.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, found himself in the spotlight for an unfortunate reason during the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Babar equalled India’s Virat Kohli’s unwanted record of most innings without scoring an international century.
Babar, who last scored a century against Nepal in 2023, came in to bat at number three after Pakistan’s early loss, with the score at a precarious 14/1 in the fifth over.
The right-handed batter showed flashes of brilliance during his knock of 29 runs, but his innings came to an abrupt end when Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga cleaned him up with a googly in the 24th over.
With this dismissal, Babar’s wait for an international century stretched to 83 innings across all formats, equalling Virat Kohli’s record for the most innings without a century.
The two batsmen now share the second spot on this list, behind Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya, who holds the record with 88 innings without a century.
Kohli, who had gone through a lean patch of his own after scoring his last century against Bangladesh in the 2019 Kolkata Test, broke his three-year century drought with a ton against Afghanistan in the 2022 ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup.
Players with Most Innings Without Scoring a Century
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 88 innings
Virat Kohli (India) – 83 innings
Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 83 innings
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) – 78 innings
Babar’s fans and critics alike will be keenly watching how the Pakistan captain rebounds from this challenging period in his career, with many hoping that his long-awaited century is just around the corner.
